What a race this is building up to be, the market is headed by Genki, Palace Moon, Hawkeyethenoo and Enact, of which 3 of those faced each other at Newamrket in May. Hawkeyethenoo came out on top there but he is by no means a certain runner as he is not rated high enough, you will need to be at least 95 to get in in my view. Connections however will try and get a penalty this Friday night at Hamilton in their version of this race, but he is not certain to win there in any event.
Genki ran a cracker in that Newmarket race and although seemingly only just winning at Haydock recently his target all season has been another crack at winning this for the 2nd year in succesion.
Palace Moon has been reported as an uncertain runner and connections may feel after his run in the Bunbury Cup that his best distance may now be 7f.
Enact has the look of one of those Stoute runners that creeps in under the radar, this will be her first run since the Newamrket race and prior to that she hadnt run since October. She showed improved form at headquarters and Stoutey doesnt keep them in training for nothing so she looks sure to be thereabouts.
Johnny Mudball has been running well all year and his latest win at Newcastle was a demolition job in a fast time, however he very much had the run of the race there as the fastest bit of the course was up the stands rail and he hugged it all the way.
Dandy Nicholls is a master of the big sprints and his 3yo Victoire De Lyphar won the very competitive Reg Griffin at York from Iver Bridge Lad with Astrophysical Jet back in 6th (winner of a decent handicap at Newmarket last time out).
Striking Spirit always runs well in these big handicaps and it was no disgrace to finish 2nd to Laddies Poker Two in the Wokingham with Palace Moon 3rd and he is sure to run his race once again.
Of the bigger prices Rileyskeepingfaith could represent good value against the fav on their recent running at Haydock, he was 2nd there and he is better off at the weights for this and substantially better at the prices.
Jimmy Styles winner of last seasons Ayr Gold Cup is another who runs well in the big one's and it wouldnt be a suprise to see him return to form in this especially if its fast going.
One who has the bookmakers somewhat confused as to his ability is James Fanshawes Bagamayo who was 2nd in a competitive 3yo handicap at Newamarket earlier in the year, the magic sign have him at 16/1, whereas Betfred have him at 40/1 and he has a high enough rating to get into the race, but Danetime was the last 3yo to win this in 1997.
Oldjoesaid from the astute Kevin Ryan stable is one who has dropped steadily down the weights and he was purchased for a reason at the end of last season by connections and it wouldnt be out of place for him to run a big race.
As you can see it is a very competitive renewal, howeverI wouldnt put anyone off having some speculative wagers, however the cut off point is likely to be roundabout the 95 mark so make sure non runner no bet is in operation if you fancy one below this mark.
I will try and keep you updated as the days countdown to the big event.
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
Friday, 9 July 2010
Saturdays Sizzlers !!
Well I'm going to look at 4 sprint races today starting with the 2.00 at York a Class 2 6f Handicap and first up is River Falcon, this old stager may be 10 but he's still running with plenty of enthusiasm and his trainer beleives he can pick something up this summer. He's dropped 21lb since the begining of last season so that entitles him to be thereabouts on a course at which he runs well and 16/1 is a fair price. Internationaldebut is another at a big price who runs well at this track and if he comes back to his early season form after his little break he will be running on at the end. Tajneed probably needs a bit of overnight rain and if he gets it he could be my idea of the winner so keep an eye on the weather forecast and going news. Harlech Castle is on a 4 timer but hasnt run for a while so he may need this to show his best.
The City Wall Stakes at Chester over 5f looks to be a penalty kick for Borderlescott who is drawn in stall 2. He has a great record in this race having been 2nd and 1st and he should have too much class for these. Glamorous Spirit was raised a whopping 15lb for her win in Ireland and even though she is well drawn it will be a different story here I'm sure. She had it all her own way in Ireland from what turned out to be a very good draw as all 4 winners on the straight course that day came from stall 1. Also she only just gets 5f and with Chester being on a continous bend the races take longer and therefore a horse has to sustain its effort for longer, for instance this race will take at least 3 secs longer than the Curragh race, so I cant see her lasting out. Captain Dunne finished 2nd last year behind Borderlescott but he is drawn 6 this time compared to 4 last year, so will have it all to do to keep up with the leaders as this race is sure to be run at a fast tempo. Masamah who won here earlier in the year will also be trying to lead from stall 3 but its unlikely he will be able to get in front of Glamourous Spirit and I cant realistically see anything else geting involved apart from maybe Reverance who will be one that is running on at the end.
The 5f Class 2 Handicap At Ascot looks a tricky little puzzle and I'm not sure I'd want to get involved myself. However I will have a look at it and lets see were we end up. Present Alchemy looks a good place to start and he looks to be on the up judged on his latest race were he won by 2 lengths. He's gone up 7lb as a result and the the horse he beat there Solemn should go well in the next as he came up against Desert Poppy at Windsor earlier in the week. Back to Present Alchemy and Hughie Morrison reckons there's definitely more to come from him if he gets a decent surface as he has an engine and Hughie has trained 1 or 2 good sprinters in his time to know the time of day. Judge n' Jury likes Ascot having won here twice before but he really needs a bit of give in the going to show his best and he looks highly unlikely to get that here. Prohibit stepped up last time with the first time cheek pieces in coming 2nd to Parisian Pyramid and Frankie Dettori is a good booking on this track. However Present Alchemy is at the right end of the handicap for a potential improver and he is the one to be on if your having a flutter.
The last race at Chester is the 6f Class 4 Handicap and this can go to Green Park who has been running well without winning this season and he gets a good draw here in stall 2 and its a course where he has a decent record 2212.
Tomorrow's selections :
Borderlescott ***
Present Alchemy *
Green Park *
Tajneed (if overnight rain) *
River Falcon - ew *
The City Wall Stakes at Chester over 5f looks to be a penalty kick for Borderlescott who is drawn in stall 2. He has a great record in this race having been 2nd and 1st and he should have too much class for these. Glamorous Spirit was raised a whopping 15lb for her win in Ireland and even though she is well drawn it will be a different story here I'm sure. She had it all her own way in Ireland from what turned out to be a very good draw as all 4 winners on the straight course that day came from stall 1. Also she only just gets 5f and with Chester being on a continous bend the races take longer and therefore a horse has to sustain its effort for longer, for instance this race will take at least 3 secs longer than the Curragh race, so I cant see her lasting out. Captain Dunne finished 2nd last year behind Borderlescott but he is drawn 6 this time compared to 4 last year, so will have it all to do to keep up with the leaders as this race is sure to be run at a fast tempo. Masamah who won here earlier in the year will also be trying to lead from stall 3 but its unlikely he will be able to get in front of Glamourous Spirit and I cant realistically see anything else geting involved apart from maybe Reverance who will be one that is running on at the end.
The 5f Class 2 Handicap At Ascot looks a tricky little puzzle and I'm not sure I'd want to get involved myself. However I will have a look at it and lets see were we end up. Present Alchemy looks a good place to start and he looks to be on the up judged on his latest race were he won by 2 lengths. He's gone up 7lb as a result and the the horse he beat there Solemn should go well in the next as he came up against Desert Poppy at Windsor earlier in the week. Back to Present Alchemy and Hughie Morrison reckons there's definitely more to come from him if he gets a decent surface as he has an engine and Hughie has trained 1 or 2 good sprinters in his time to know the time of day. Judge n' Jury likes Ascot having won here twice before but he really needs a bit of give in the going to show his best and he looks highly unlikely to get that here. Prohibit stepped up last time with the first time cheek pieces in coming 2nd to Parisian Pyramid and Frankie Dettori is a good booking on this track. However Present Alchemy is at the right end of the handicap for a potential improver and he is the one to be on if your having a flutter.
The last race at Chester is the 6f Class 4 Handicap and this can go to Green Park who has been running well without winning this season and he gets a good draw here in stall 2 and its a course where he has a decent record 2212.
Tomorrow's selections :
Borderlescott ***
Present Alchemy *
Green Park *
Tajneed (if overnight rain) *
River Falcon - ew *
Thursday, 8 July 2010
July Cup Spectacular !
Friday is here and its the July Cup at Newamarket and Im happy to stick with Starspangledbanner to win, he showed improved form at Ascot and it may be that he will have come on even further from that. We have covered a lot of the other runners earlier in the week and Society Rock probably also has room for further improvement only having had a handful of runs so far. I still think though that Balthazars Gift is too big a price to go unbacked and a small ew on him can be afforded.
In other races tomorrow we see Feeling Fresh out to continue his good run back at Chester and make it 3 wins, he's drawn in stall 12 tomorrow but I would imagine he would have been dropped in in any event so I wouldnt worry to much about that.
I think City Dancer is also a cracking ew bet at York in the 5f Group 3. As we know there is very little between top handicaps and Group race sprints and she has got a lot of speed at the business end of her races and if she gets the gaps she will go well close.
At Chepstow we have a 6f Class 2 Handicap and William Haggas's sprinters have been in very good form this year and Tagseed is another who could continue his good streak. I have mentioned Wildcat Wizard before but he didnt run very well last time, however if he is in better form he could shake up the fav.
Back at Newmarket in the 7f Heritage Handicap Palace Moon can show that his run in the Wokingham was no fluke, afterwards Fallon suggested he might need 7f and here he gets it, however he will have to be on his metal as Signor Peltro who is also one of our horses to follow (see seperate page)could give him the most to do as he was also finishing like a train last time out.
Tomorrow we will have our regular look at the handicappers ups and downs in "Up a bit, down a bit".
In other races tomorrow we see Feeling Fresh out to continue his good run back at Chester and make it 3 wins, he's drawn in stall 12 tomorrow but I would imagine he would have been dropped in in any event so I wouldnt worry to much about that.
I think City Dancer is also a cracking ew bet at York in the 5f Group 3. As we know there is very little between top handicaps and Group race sprints and she has got a lot of speed at the business end of her races and if she gets the gaps she will go well close.
At Chepstow we have a 6f Class 2 Handicap and William Haggas's sprinters have been in very good form this year and Tagseed is another who could continue his good streak. I have mentioned Wildcat Wizard before but he didnt run very well last time, however if he is in better form he could shake up the fav.
Back at Newmarket in the 7f Heritage Handicap Palace Moon can show that his run in the Wokingham was no fluke, afterwards Fallon suggested he might need 7f and here he gets it, however he will have to be on his metal as Signor Peltro who is also one of our horses to follow (see seperate page)could give him the most to do as he was also finishing like a train last time out.
Tomorrow we will have our regular look at the handicappers ups and downs in "Up a bit, down a bit".
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
Up a bit, down a bit
This weeks musings on the Sprint handicappers tinkerings start with the Class 4 Vista Panels Handicap at Haydock last Thursday over 6f. The winner of this was KING OF EDEN who came with a good run to win well despite having an awkward head carriage and he looks be capable of winning again despite being raised 7lbs for this taking him to a mark of 77. He had a couple of consistent performers in 2nd and 3rd which gives the performance a solid look to it. A couple to be dropped were Pearley Way 2lb to 73 and Northern Dare 3lb to 77.
On Friday at Doncaster Favourite Girl continued her run of form by just getting the better of John Balding's sprinter MILTON OF CAMPSIE by a head. The latter looks as though her time is near and for this run she was raised 3lb to a rating 73, whilst the winner was raised a further 4lb to 88.
On the same day at Sandown the 5f Class 3 handicap went Pisceans way by a short head from Rocket Bob and they were raised 4lb and 3lb repectively. Behind were the likes of Secret Asset, Fathom Five and Cheveton, the latter hasnt been in good form this season and as result of this effort he was dropped a further 4lb to 85. He is one who has not been liking the going of late and he is now 16lb lower than at the begining of last season and as soon as there is some ease in the going he will spring up at a decent price.
As expected Bated Breath went up 10lb for his facile win at Haydock in the 3yo Class 2 Handicap over 6f and he is now on 105. Afterwards Roger Charlton said we may see him in next years Sprint Cup here but later in the week he entered him for this years race. I thought Little Garcon was unlucky not to get closer and he remains on 88 which is a very fair mark that can be exploited on his next run. The race itself was run in a decent time only slightly slower than the Class 2 Conditions Stakes won by his stablemate Genki 30 minutes later. Charlton is now eyeing up a 0-105 Handicap at Newmarket in August however he has stressed that he wont run him on fast ground again this season.
Genki himself ran out a good winner of the Conditions Stakes at Haydock albeit only narrowly but when he seemed to do have done enough he downed tools as he couldnt see the others because of the blinkers. He gets a 3lb penalty for winning this type of race and he looks to be on course for another good show at Goodwood. Of those behind Enderby Spirit, Edge Closer and Fitz Flyer were dropped 2lb each
On Friday at Doncaster Favourite Girl continued her run of form by just getting the better of John Balding's sprinter MILTON OF CAMPSIE by a head. The latter looks as though her time is near and for this run she was raised 3lb to a rating 73, whilst the winner was raised a further 4lb to 88.
On the same day at Sandown the 5f Class 3 handicap went Pisceans way by a short head from Rocket Bob and they were raised 4lb and 3lb repectively. Behind were the likes of Secret Asset, Fathom Five and Cheveton, the latter hasnt been in good form this season and as result of this effort he was dropped a further 4lb to 85. He is one who has not been liking the going of late and he is now 16lb lower than at the begining of last season and as soon as there is some ease in the going he will spring up at a decent price.
As expected Bated Breath went up 10lb for his facile win at Haydock in the 3yo Class 2 Handicap over 6f and he is now on 105. Afterwards Roger Charlton said we may see him in next years Sprint Cup here but later in the week he entered him for this years race. I thought Little Garcon was unlucky not to get closer and he remains on 88 which is a very fair mark that can be exploited on his next run. The race itself was run in a decent time only slightly slower than the Class 2 Conditions Stakes won by his stablemate Genki 30 minutes later. Charlton is now eyeing up a 0-105 Handicap at Newmarket in August however he has stressed that he wont run him on fast ground again this season.
Genki himself ran out a good winner of the Conditions Stakes at Haydock albeit only narrowly but when he seemed to do have done enough he downed tools as he couldnt see the others because of the blinkers. He gets a 3lb penalty for winning this type of race and he looks to be on course for another good show at Goodwood. Of those behind Enderby Spirit, Edge Closer and Fitz Flyer were dropped 2lb each
Class 3 Handicap at Newmarket
Im sure Crimea is a poor fav for this handicap, he only won a 5 runner claimer at Hamilton last time and the 2nd and 3rd were both worse off than in a handicap, okay he won by 7 lengths but he was entitled to do so in the context of that race. This more competitive handicap will surely find him out and those that look like fighting it out are, Sohraab, Lenny Bee, Five Star Junior, Invincible Lad and the old stager Indian Trail. The latter is by no means a has been, he didnt run very well last time granted but prior to that he had only been beaten 3 3/4 lengths to Bertoliver in the Dash at Epsom and he will have the strength of Franny Norton to drive him up the hill here and it wouldnt suprise me if he was finishing better than anything. It obviously isnt lost on Nicholls that one of his better performances last year was at Glorious Goodwood when he came 4th behind Blue Jack with Norton up, in that race Invincible Lad was half a length in front of him but there is a 7lb turnaround in the weights now, albeit Ryan Moore is on Invincible Lad. Sohraab is 4lb below his last winning mark which came at Chester when he was drawn 4th of 12 last season, he was then placed in a couple of Listed races so is capable of running well on his day and Hughie Morrison said in a recent stable tour that he thought he was becoming well handicapped. Lenny Bee won smartly first time out this season at Beverley and that race was well advertised by several winners coming out of it, since then he has run twice and on both occasions his trainer hasnt thought he was well drawn, I dont think he will have any excuses on that score tomorrow as it shouldnt make much difference were he's drawn in this field. He is capable of further improvement and he should be thereabouts. Five Star Junior has the assistance of Fallon but although this is a stiff final furlong he would probably prefer 6f, he only just got up at Ayr over 5f, but on the positive side it was a decent race and it was a fast time. Invincible Lad as we have said has Ryan Moore up and this will be for the second time, he finished 3rd at Sandown last summer on him when just behind Blue Jack again, however he is 8lb higher than his last win on turf.
Its not easy stuff picking a winner and at the prices on offer I would be inclined to do Indian Trail ew and oppose Crimea, but if I was pushed to go for a winner I would go for Sohraab and bank on him coming back to form here.
Its not easy stuff picking a winner and at the prices on offer I would be inclined to do Indian Trail ew and oppose Crimea, but if I was pushed to go for a winner I would go for Sohraab and bank on him coming back to form here.
Monday, 5 July 2010
The July Cup Lowdown
This friday sees the The July Cup take centre stage, run at Newmarket since 1876 this is one of the major sprint races of the calendar and this year we have the usual big names ready to do battle and claim their fame.
The Golden Jubilee and Kings Stand are the races that have been the most informative over the years and this time we have 12 taking their chance from the former. Starspangledbanner was the winner of that race, in course record time, but that record was to be taken away from him in the very next race by Laddies Poker Two. She does not take her place here as the owners rely on Starspangledbanner, which is a pity as it could have been a great battle between them and we are now unlikely to see them run against each other this season. Starspangledbanner improved markedly on his first run for O'Brien and if the 7/4 fav has improved further then the others may as well stay in their boxes.
Others in the Golden Jubilee such as Fleeting Spirit will feel they can get closer this time, she was having her first run of the season in that and she was also racing on the unfavoured far side that day. Noseda says she is sharper for the race and will appreciate the fast ground, however he doesnt think she would have won the Golden Jubilee even if she had been on the stands side, but she is in top order and did a good piece of work on monday. Frankie Dettori rides and provided she is drawn close to the pace she will go well.
Kinsale King will never have seen a track like Newmarket and neither will some of the Aussie horses and the american horse looked to be fading at Ascot towards the end so will find this very tough uphill finish a struggle in my view.
James Fanshawe hasnt really been convincing in saying this would be a definite target for Society Rock so in showing those reservations Im not keen to side with him.
Its probably too far for Equiano as he has shown his best form this season at 5f, however Kingsgate Native, if he puts his best foot forward, could be a bit of value at 16/1, but you just dont know which horse is going to turn up with him.
Nicconi stayed on well in the Kings Stand and will appreciate the extra distance but he is not up to the usual standard of Australian sprinters and the fav was probably better than him when back in his homeland.
Marchand D'or and Balthazars Gift are lively outsiders with the latter having had a highish draw in the Golden Jubilee, he moved across to the stands side before threading his way through to finish with a flourish, he too will improve for the run and 50/1 is worth a small punt.
Starspangledbanners price is very short for such a competitive sprint and he too will not have encountered a course such as this, so if you fancy one to beat him then you should go for it in my view. However we shall take another look at the race when the final declarations and the draw are known.
The Golden Jubilee and Kings Stand are the races that have been the most informative over the years and this time we have 12 taking their chance from the former. Starspangledbanner was the winner of that race, in course record time, but that record was to be taken away from him in the very next race by Laddies Poker Two. She does not take her place here as the owners rely on Starspangledbanner, which is a pity as it could have been a great battle between them and we are now unlikely to see them run against each other this season. Starspangledbanner improved markedly on his first run for O'Brien and if the 7/4 fav has improved further then the others may as well stay in their boxes.
Others in the Golden Jubilee such as Fleeting Spirit will feel they can get closer this time, she was having her first run of the season in that and she was also racing on the unfavoured far side that day. Noseda says she is sharper for the race and will appreciate the fast ground, however he doesnt think she would have won the Golden Jubilee even if she had been on the stands side, but she is in top order and did a good piece of work on monday. Frankie Dettori rides and provided she is drawn close to the pace she will go well.
Kinsale King will never have seen a track like Newmarket and neither will some of the Aussie horses and the american horse looked to be fading at Ascot towards the end so will find this very tough uphill finish a struggle in my view.
James Fanshawe hasnt really been convincing in saying this would be a definite target for Society Rock so in showing those reservations Im not keen to side with him.
Its probably too far for Equiano as he has shown his best form this season at 5f, however Kingsgate Native, if he puts his best foot forward, could be a bit of value at 16/1, but you just dont know which horse is going to turn up with him.
Nicconi stayed on well in the Kings Stand and will appreciate the extra distance but he is not up to the usual standard of Australian sprinters and the fav was probably better than him when back in his homeland.
Marchand D'or and Balthazars Gift are lively outsiders with the latter having had a highish draw in the Golden Jubilee, he moved across to the stands side before threading his way through to finish with a flourish, he too will improve for the run and 50/1 is worth a small punt.
Starspangledbanners price is very short for such a competitive sprint and he too will not have encountered a course such as this, so if you fancy one to beat him then you should go for it in my view. However we shall take another look at the race when the final declarations and the draw are known.
Sunday, 4 July 2010
Weekend Fallout
It was a good day for this blog on Saturday with 2 winners from 3 runners.
GENKI won the 6f Conditions Stakes at Haydock and has lined himself up to defend his Stewards Cup crown at Goodwood. He wore blinkers for the first time here although they are likely to be swopped for a visor next time (so that he can see the opposition close home), as here he thought he had done enough as soon as the others had gone out of his sight in the blinkers and therefore the finish was tighter than expected. Still I thought he won comfortably enough from Rileyskeepingfaith and Castles in the Air, the second was 2lb worse off than in a handicap but the neck between them is not as big as the price difference between them in The Stewards Cup, so there may be some value to be had there if you fancy the Channon horse and Genki will carry a 3lb penalty for this win.
The race before that was the 3yo Class 2 Handicap and I havent been looking at these on this blog but this one deserves a mention as the winner BATED BREATH recorded a time only 12 hundreths of a second more than his stablemate Genki over the 6f despite carrying 9lb more in weight. He is now 3-3 and afterwards Charlton said that he could well be back next year at Haydock for the Sprint Cup, which was high praise indeed from him. The other interesting one in the race was LITTLE GARCON rated 88, he was out the back for best part of the race before being asked to follow the winner through, but just as he was getiing into full flow and making his challenge the original leader swerved violently right and collided with him and knocking him out of his stride. He probably wouldnt have won but he would have been a lot closer and has room for improvement if he is not penalised for this. His trainer Botti is currently in form and his last 11 runners read 21246196212 and he has a stable tour on ATR.
Feeling Fresh coped well with the drop in distance at Carlisle as this is a stiff track and he won by 2 1/2 lengths in the apprentice handicap so he wont be penalised for this and he is entered again at Chester on Fiday in the 7f handicap.
Hope you were all able to back one or both of the winners and all being well we can continue the good run through the week with The July Cup at Newmarket being the highlight on Friday afternoon.
GENKI won the 6f Conditions Stakes at Haydock and has lined himself up to defend his Stewards Cup crown at Goodwood. He wore blinkers for the first time here although they are likely to be swopped for a visor next time (so that he can see the opposition close home), as here he thought he had done enough as soon as the others had gone out of his sight in the blinkers and therefore the finish was tighter than expected. Still I thought he won comfortably enough from Rileyskeepingfaith and Castles in the Air, the second was 2lb worse off than in a handicap but the neck between them is not as big as the price difference between them in The Stewards Cup, so there may be some value to be had there if you fancy the Channon horse and Genki will carry a 3lb penalty for this win.
The race before that was the 3yo Class 2 Handicap and I havent been looking at these on this blog but this one deserves a mention as the winner BATED BREATH recorded a time only 12 hundreths of a second more than his stablemate Genki over the 6f despite carrying 9lb more in weight. He is now 3-3 and afterwards Charlton said that he could well be back next year at Haydock for the Sprint Cup, which was high praise indeed from him. The other interesting one in the race was LITTLE GARCON rated 88, he was out the back for best part of the race before being asked to follow the winner through, but just as he was getiing into full flow and making his challenge the original leader swerved violently right and collided with him and knocking him out of his stride. He probably wouldnt have won but he would have been a lot closer and has room for improvement if he is not penalised for this. His trainer Botti is currently in form and his last 11 runners read 21246196212 and he has a stable tour on ATR.
Feeling Fresh coped well with the drop in distance at Carlisle as this is a stiff track and he won by 2 1/2 lengths in the apprentice handicap so he wont be penalised for this and he is entered again at Chester on Fiday in the 7f handicap.
Hope you were all able to back one or both of the winners and all being well we can continue the good run through the week with The July Cup at Newmarket being the highlight on Friday afternoon.
Saturday, 3 July 2010
Sprint Action !!
There are plenty of non runners about today so beware of any of those before you bet.
Over at Haydock GENKI looks a good bet in the 4.35 to get some of his confidence back before a crack at The Stewards Cup at Goodwood. A win here will surely see him promoted to outright favourite so if you fancy him for that you better get on pre todays race. Captain Dunne has only ever won over 5f as far as I know and the 2 that might give him the most to are Enderby Spirit and the Godolphin runner Global City.
In the next at Haydock I was going to go for AVERTOR but he is a non runner as is Taurus Twins which leaves it pretty wide open and I'm giving that one a miss.
The 2.00 at Sandown should go to GROUP THERAPY who looked right back to his best at Beverley and he may have most to fear from Triple Aspect, Hamish McGonagall might get closer this time because he didnt seem to like the course at Beverley and this might be more conventional for him.
Tonight at Carlisle FEELING FRESH runs in 6.55, he won well at Chester despite suffering interference and he only went up 4lb for it and is capable of winning again. I know its an apprentices race and anything can happen but its only a small field so hopefully there will be no hard luck story.
So they are my three for the day :-
2.00 Sandown - GROUP THERAPY
4.35 Haydock - GENKI
6.55 Carlisle - FEELING FRESH
Good luck and be sure to keep in touch !
Over at Haydock GENKI looks a good bet in the 4.35 to get some of his confidence back before a crack at The Stewards Cup at Goodwood. A win here will surely see him promoted to outright favourite so if you fancy him for that you better get on pre todays race. Captain Dunne has only ever won over 5f as far as I know and the 2 that might give him the most to are Enderby Spirit and the Godolphin runner Global City.
In the next at Haydock I was going to go for AVERTOR but he is a non runner as is Taurus Twins which leaves it pretty wide open and I'm giving that one a miss.
The 2.00 at Sandown should go to GROUP THERAPY who looked right back to his best at Beverley and he may have most to fear from Triple Aspect, Hamish McGonagall might get closer this time because he didnt seem to like the course at Beverley and this might be more conventional for him.
Tonight at Carlisle FEELING FRESH runs in 6.55, he won well at Chester despite suffering interference and he only went up 4lb for it and is capable of winning again. I know its an apprentices race and anything can happen but its only a small field so hopefully there will be no hard luck story.
So they are my three for the day :-
2.00 Sandown - GROUP THERAPY
4.35 Haydock - GENKI
6.55 Carlisle - FEELING FRESH
Good luck and be sure to keep in touch !
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
Midweek Pointers !
I dont normally do that much midweek, however there are 2 tomorrow that could be worth having a look at if you get the chance to do some form study in the morning. They are ABRAHAM LINCOLN at Epsom and LEGAL EAGLE at Haydock, funnily enough they were both previously trained by Dandy Nicholls. Abraham Lincoln ran a good 2nd to Tajneed before running at Epsom in the competitive 6f sprint that finishes off the Derby Day meeting. I thought he ran well there and was a little bit unlucky so he may fare better in this smaller field.
At Haydock Legal Eagle gets the assistance of Jamie Spencer over 6f, however he isnt particularly well drawn in 5 as they will surely come down the rail and I'm not sure if JP will therefore adopt the only tactic he seems to know of dropping him out the back, if he does then I cant see him winning as he's more of a grinder than a fast finisher, so this is more for in running players.
There are 1 or 2 sprints on Friday, so be sure to drop in again then.
At Haydock Legal Eagle gets the assistance of Jamie Spencer over 6f, however he isnt particularly well drawn in 5 as they will surely come down the rail and I'm not sure if JP will therefore adopt the only tactic he seems to know of dropping him out the back, if he does then I cant see him winning as he's more of a grinder than a fast finisher, so this is more for in running players.
There are 1 or 2 sprints on Friday, so be sure to drop in again then.
Up a bit, down a bit
Its here again, the weekly look at the ups and downs of the handicapper. I did email the sprint handicapper at BHB Headquarters about his handicapping of the Wokingham, but I never received a reply.....poor show !
Anyway on with this weeks summary and lets begin with the Gosforth Park Cup at Newcastle, where like in Ireland at the weekend, there was a big draw bias on the stands side. This race was won by Captain Dunne who had banged his head last time when coming out of the stalls and he was able to bag the rail here and win by a head from Secret Asset, as a result he was raised 4lb to 104 and the 2nd went up 3lb to 97. Behind Fol Hollow finished full of running and was left on the same mark of 98. The race itself was run in 58.94s which was fast by 0.66.
Also at Chester on Friday night we saw Feeling Fresh win the Class 5 Handicap over 7f for Paul Green in convincing fashion. He had been off the track for best part of a year and won this despite suffering interfernce once in the straight. If he progresses again he could well be up to defying the 4lb rise in the weights taking him to 64.
On Saturday the Group 3 Chipchase Stakes at Newcastle went to Barney McGrew by 2 1/2 lengths on the favoured ground near the rail, however if you run well in these races you have to take your punishment and he was raised 8lb as a result to 108, aged 7 it will be a while before he gets back to a realistic handicap mark again.
In the following Class 2 Handicap Johhny Mudball also came up the favoured stands side to win by 4 1/2 lengths from Poet's Place. He was raised a hefty 9lbs for this taking him up to 99, which seems harsh as this was the 3rd sprint race on the trot that the stands side dominated. All the horses that came up the middle struggled and as a result were all dropped 1 or 2lbs. River Falcon was dropped 2lb to 75 and this admirable old sprinter keeps running his race and he looks sure to go in sometime, he was running off 96 at the beginning of last season and if he gets the breaks he should win soon.
The Class 2 Handicap at Windsor over 6f went to Parisian Pyramid, winning by a length from Prohibit who was running in a first time visor. Prohibit hadnt run that well in the Wokingham but he was woken up here. The winner was raised 5lb to 96 and the 2nd went up 2lb to 98. The eyecatcher for me was Signor Peltro who met a lot of trouble in running and was flying at the finish and he remains on the same mark of 100. The 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 7th had all run in the Wokingham the previous Saturday.
So there we have it, there are a few highlighted one's for you to keep a lookout for and be sure to look in over the weekend for my appraisal of the sprint action.
Anyway on with this weeks summary and lets begin with the Gosforth Park Cup at Newcastle, where like in Ireland at the weekend, there was a big draw bias on the stands side. This race was won by Captain Dunne who had banged his head last time when coming out of the stalls and he was able to bag the rail here and win by a head from Secret Asset, as a result he was raised 4lb to 104 and the 2nd went up 3lb to 97. Behind Fol Hollow finished full of running and was left on the same mark of 98. The race itself was run in 58.94s which was fast by 0.66.
Also at Chester on Friday night we saw Feeling Fresh win the Class 5 Handicap over 7f for Paul Green in convincing fashion. He had been off the track for best part of a year and won this despite suffering interfernce once in the straight. If he progresses again he could well be up to defying the 4lb rise in the weights taking him to 64.
On Saturday the Group 3 Chipchase Stakes at Newcastle went to Barney McGrew by 2 1/2 lengths on the favoured ground near the rail, however if you run well in these races you have to take your punishment and he was raised 8lb as a result to 108, aged 7 it will be a while before he gets back to a realistic handicap mark again.
In the following Class 2 Handicap Johhny Mudball also came up the favoured stands side to win by 4 1/2 lengths from Poet's Place. He was raised a hefty 9lbs for this taking him up to 99, which seems harsh as this was the 3rd sprint race on the trot that the stands side dominated. All the horses that came up the middle struggled and as a result were all dropped 1 or 2lbs. River Falcon was dropped 2lb to 75 and this admirable old sprinter keeps running his race and he looks sure to go in sometime, he was running off 96 at the beginning of last season and if he gets the breaks he should win soon.
The Class 2 Handicap at Windsor over 6f went to Parisian Pyramid, winning by a length from Prohibit who was running in a first time visor. Prohibit hadnt run that well in the Wokingham but he was woken up here. The winner was raised 5lb to 96 and the 2nd went up 2lb to 98. The eyecatcher for me was Signor Peltro who met a lot of trouble in running and was flying at the finish and he remains on the same mark of 100. The 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 7th had all run in the Wokingham the previous Saturday.
So there we have it, there are a few highlighted one's for you to keep a lookout for and be sure to look in over the weekend for my appraisal of the sprint action.
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